The controller also had to be compatible with the motor and battery voltages.Ī basic electric powertrain is composed of batteries, a speed controller, and a motor.
I wanted a controller that was fairly easy to program and put to use. The controller controls the amount of current it sends to the motor based on the foot throttle input, which is connected to the controller. Lead acid batteries, on the other hand, are cost-effective, but have a battery life nearly half of that of lithium ion batteries.Ĭontroller: The name says it all. Lithium ion batteries are known for high discharge rate, which translates to good acceleration when talking about go karts. Lithium batteries are great but also on the higher end of the financial spectrum for batteries. Lithium or Lead Acid Batteries: This was a clear pick for me, again, because of the cost margin between the two. Although, they cost more and you end up loosing power and speed compared to spending the same amount of money on a brushed motor (which is what I did). Brushless motors have higher performance and energy efficiency. I picked a brushed system in this case for cost reasons. Those resources taught me more about these electrical components and helped me in applying that knowledge to construct my own electric system.īrushless or brushed system: I created a chart to compare both of these systems in order to pick. Therefore, I have posted sources and pages that were of great help to me.
#Cheapest go kart build kit how to#
It is also impossible to tell you how to design an electric drivetrain in one page. This was the hardest part for me because I did not know what I needed for an electric system to put on a go-kart. This step was completed after about a month of research. Think about your budget, how fast you want to go, etc. That way, you have something to work towards. Make sure to note down what you want your go kart to look like. Do you want your kart to have a reverse gear? If yes, you need a reverse contactor. Do you want a go kart for offroad? If yes, then you need to get a roll cage with an offroad chassis.
Overall, I spent around 200+ hours in total for this project. Then, you will be wasting your money and time. You should plan out the project properly rather than spending loads of money on something you didn't account for. Don't be frustrated if it's been one month and you haven't started to build the go kart. Plan, research, plan, research: For me, the majority of this project was dedicated to researching and planning out how I would put together this kart (placement of batteries, motor, etc.).After everything, I think that about $1000 would be a good estimate of the real price of this project. I think that because I started this project without any idea, I spent a lot of money on unnecessary things like a welder which I barely used. And obviously, if you plan on building a go kart with lower performance parts, you will be cutting down this bill significantly (See the bottom of this page for my personal Expenditures Sheet). Be prepared to invest into this project: Before I started this project, I had nothing in my hands.
And, within those 3 months, I spent around 4 hours a day. Thus, I spent a whole 3 months to complete it.
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